Local prosecutor appointed to governor’s mental health council

Ionia County Prosecuting Attorney Ron Schafer has been appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to serve on a new 14-member Mental Health Diversion Council that will support mental health initiatives in Michigan.

Ionia County Prosecuting Attorney Ron Schafer has been appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to serve on a new 14-member Mental Health Diversion Council that will support mental health initiatives in Michigan.

The Mental Health Diversion Council has been charged with developing a method to divert individuals with mental illness or substance abuse problems out of the criminal justice system and into appropriate treatment.

Schafer, of Portland, will serve a four-year term, expiring Jan. 30, 2017, on the council, representing prosecutors. As the chief law enforcement officer for the county, Schafer supervises and coordinates his office's participation in local specialty courts, including mental health court, sobriety court, veterans court and drug court. He is past president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan (PAAM), and was appointed by Snyder in 2001 to serve on the Indigent Defense Advisory Commission.

Schafer graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992 from Michigan State University in East Lansing, and a Juris Doctor degree in 1996 from the Detroit College of Law at MSU in Detroit.

The task of the Mental Health Diversion Council is an important one, said Schafer.

“I don’t believe it’s a secret that one of the areas of concern with criminal justice today is what do we do and how we treat those with mental illness,” he said. “Anything we can do to make the system more effective in dealing with that population is a good thing, for the defendants and for the victims of those crimes.”

While the “fall-out” from mental illness does not impact Ionia County as much as it does larger communities, a council such as this can examine it as a statewide issue and find solutions that will benefit communities across Michigan.

Addressing what may be the root cause of the behavior that puts offenders in front of the judge in the first place has always been a topic of discussion, said Schafer, “but this is the first time I am aware of that a directive from the governor’s office has put in motion a committee to take a serious and hard look at what we’re doing in that area of the law.”

Schafer said he plans to share Ionia County’s experience with the council as an example of effective collaboration between Community Mental Health, the courts and the jail.

“Having all of us playing on the same page really is a common-sense solution to look at in addressing the issue,” he said. “We’re a good model out here for doing great work in that area without having to incur additional expense. We’re doing it without having to do special new court rules or put new statutes in place. But it takes cooperation.”

Page 2 of 2 - Snyder called for the Mental Health Diversion Council in his State of the State address and in his Public Safety and Health and Wellness special messages. He issued executive orders creating the two bodies Wednesday.

"Mental health is just as important as physical health," Snyder said in a press release. "I am pleased to address this critical health care concern, and I look forward to finding solutions to improve education, prevention, treatment of and recovery from mental illnesses."

The Mental Health Diversion Council will operate within another newly created entity, the six-member Mental Health and Wellness Commission within the Michigan Department of Community Health (DCH), which will serve in an advisory role to the department to help strengthen the state's mental health system, including solutions encompassing education, public safety, veterans, independence and service delivery. The commission will issue a report of its findings by Dec. 20.

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley will chair the Mental Health and Wellness Commission. DCH Director James Haveman will serve as vice chair. The other four members will come from the legislature representing both the majority and minority caucuses from the Senate and the House of Representatives.

"We need to focus more attention on bettering mental health awareness and education across all departments in Michigan," Calley said. "I am eager to begin working on these initiatives to address a fundamental need in our state."